A Red Flag: How to Spot Problem Candidates in Remote Hiring

A lot has been said about red flags to look out for when choosing an employer. This issue is especially relevant for remote work. However, what about the other side of this type of relationship? Are there things for employers to be concerned about? There absolutely are! We want to take a look at a few signs that a potential employee is waving a red flag. 

Remote work can be convenient and rewarding, but it is also challenging. It is not easy to maintain team morale and communicate across cultures and timezones. You want only the best employees with you on this quest. Hiring new talent is a complicated process and requires a strategy. There are the usual things to look out for like insufficient experience or poor communication skills. However, a lot of red flags are more difficult to spot. Here are a few of them.

Does the Resume Match the Expertise?

An impressive resume can be a good reason to invite the candidate to an interview. However, it is not enough to offer them a job. Resumes might not be entirely true, and you can check that by asking questions that will make your potential hire demonstrate their skills. 

Too Polished? Red Flag!

It is good practice to doubt a candidate with responses that appear too polished. They might be following a script. 

The solution is to ask unexpected questions and propose tasks that will put the candidate to the test. Taking your discussion in unusual directions will also show you how the potential hire thinks on their feet and approaches various issues that are different from what they would usually encounter.

Do They Know What Remote Work Means?

Employees who only value remote work for its convenience might not fully understand what is required to be successful in this field. They might not be able to contribute to the same extent as hires who are truly enthusiastic about remote work. 

• It is a red flag if your candidate does not ask anything about how you organize your remote team. They should be curious about it, especially if they have experience working remotely.
• If a candidate does not have experience in remote work, that does not have to be an issue. However, you should expect a learning curve from them. Consider that when choosing your hire.

To see if an experienced worker truly knows enough about remote work, you can ask relevant questions. 

• For example, you can ask what they like about remote work the most or what challenges they have experienced with it. 
• You can ask a remote work newbie how they think they are going to handle the challenges of remote work. 
• You can also discuss their plans and strategies on becoming a part of your team. 

All of that can yield useful information on whether the candidate deserves to be hired.

Do They Never Want to Improve? Red Flag!

Some things are just too good to be true. An overconfident employee is not always a good choice. A humble person, who might be less willing to brag and always wants to learn, can be a better fit.

• If a candidate does not disclose any failures or challenges from their past, they might be bad at recognizing their issues. Additionally, they might recognize but be unwilling to discuss any of their shortcomings. Both of these factors can cause trouble if you do hire them.
• A candidate might be making promises that are too good to be true. That may mean issues with assessing what they can do.

You can always handle such a candidate with some of the following strategies.

• Ask questions about their flaws. Do not allow them to get away with something like “I just work too hard.” Consider digging deeper and making them reply honestly. 
• Ask the candidate if they are comfortable admitting their flaws. It is an important part of improvement.
• Consider asking them what they do when in doubt. Do they ask their colleagues for help? Are they willing to listen to others? 
• On a related note, inquire about their attitude toward feedback and criticism.

Not a Team Player

Naturally, a remote team member needs to be independent. They should be able to work on their own and find motivation to do so. However, they remain a team member, and all of your team should have basic collaboration skills. That is important not just for the working process but also for your company’s culture.

It does not matter if a candidate is perfect in every other aspect. They still need to be able to collaborate.

• A lone wolf may be focusing on their own achievements and not discuss their role in the previous teams they have worked with. They might not even be able to recognize that others have contributed to their success.
• If a candidate does not express any need for interacting with other members of their team, they are likely to be too independent or lack collaboration skills.
• A person who does not display abilities like active listening and empathy is not going to fit neatly into a team.

You can find out if your candidate has useful collaboration experience and skills using the following strategies.

• Inquire about their experience. Have they been a part of a team before? If so, what did they learn from it? How did it go and what lessons have they discovered as a result of the experience? Pay attention to whether they recognize the team and their contributions or not.
• Ask about their communication skills. Make sure to highlight that remote communication is different from face-to-face one.
• Ask them about conflict management. While a part of communication skills, it is worth considering separately. Ask them to describe how they resolved a conflict in the past. Inquire about them handling personal differences in the workplace as well.

Do They Know What They Want? Career Goals

A lot of people do not have clear career goals, and that can be an issue. It makes you wonder if this person can meaningfully contribute to your developing and growing business. They might also lack motivation and engagement.

• It is easy to spot a person who does not have a clear career goal. If they are vague in their descriptions of their future, most likely, they do not know what they want.
• If a candidate mostly talks about the immediate benefits of working with you, they might not want to stay for a while.
• Sometimes, a person does not indicate that they have been learning and progressing in their career. If they do not acquire new skills or progress in their role, they might not grow with your business.

Some of the strategies for figuring out this red flag include the following.

• Understand if they want to learn. Have they taken any courses recently? What is their approach to self-improvement? If they do not work on their abilities and skills, they might not be a good fit for your company.
• Discuss past career growth. What have they achieved? Did they set any goals? If so, how did they approach moving toward them?
• Naturally, you can also ask the classic question of where they want to be in 5 years. If they give you a career plan, they probably know what they want.

Culture

Company culture is complicated. Ideally, you want your new employee to fit right in, be aligned with your company’s values and goals. However, there is a term “culture add,” which is also a good option for a new employee. Like the title suggests, such a person adds new perspectives to your company, diversifying its outlook. Both of those are a good sign. But what are the red flags from the cultural perspective?

• If a candidate is completely uninterested in your work culture, especially remote work culture, that is an issue. They should want to learn more and contribute.
• If a candidate does not appear to value the same things as your company, they might not be a good fit.
• If a candidate offers no new perspective, they might still be a good addition to your business! However, a candidate who diversifies your company’s views is a better choice.

The following strategies help to figure out cultural aspects of your potential hire.

• You can discuss culture with the potential hire directly. Ask what they are looking for in a company or what they think a remote company culture should look like. 
• You can ask about the candidate’s background to figure out if they might add to your culture.
• Discussing work-life balance is a good idea if you want to understand their cultural features. 

Red Flag: In Conclusion

Red flags are not just for employees. Employers need to be careful throughout the hiring process as well! Some of the issues to look out for are real expertise (as opposed to a resume), rehearsed answers, not knowing what remote work means, as well as a lack of drive to improve, low collaboration skills and no clear career goals, and failure to fit into your company’s cultural landscape. All these issues can be spotted during the interview.